'Avengers': James Spader to play Ultron

By Breeanna Hare, CNN

Updated 6:41 AM ET, Fri August 30, 2013

Photos: Our favorite movie villains31 photos

Our favorite movie villains – J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" had to defeat some seriously disturbed villains, one of whom was sadistic Hogwarts instructor Dolores Umbridge. The idea of what went down in her office still gives us chills. How would you rank her against some of our other favorite movie villains, including the masterful He Who Shall Not Be Named? Take a look at our top bad guys (and girls), in no particular order.

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Lord Voldemort, 'Harry Potter' – If we were in the wizard world right now, we wouldn't even mention the villain that landed actor Ralph Fiennes on this list. Fiennes' Lord Voldemort is pictured here in the final installment of the "Harry Potter" franchise.

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Tommy DeVito, 'Goodfellas' – Joe Pesci's Tommy DeVito in Martin Scorsese's 1990 classic "Goodfellas" wasn't there to amuse, but he did that anyway. The short-tempered mobster also won over the Academy, which gave Pesci an Oscar for best supporting actor.

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Darth Vader, 'Star Wars' – "Star Wars'" Darth Vader, played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones, is one of the most notable cinematic villains of all time.

Nurse Ratched, 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' – Louise Fletcher won the best actress Oscar for her role as Nurse Ratched in 1975's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

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Anton Chigurh, 'No Country for Old Men' – Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh, from the 2007 film "No Country For Old Men," is one of the best villains as far as we're concerned. Directed and written by Ethan and Joel Coen, the cat-and-mouse thriller also stars Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin.

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Hannibal Lecter, 'Silence of the Lambs,' 'Hannibal' – Anthony Hopkins was terrifying as Hannibal Lecter in both 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs" and Ridley Scott's 2001 movie named after the villain. Bryan Fuller has since brought the story of the serial killer back to life with NBC's "Hannibal," starring Mads Mikkelsen.

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Max Cady, 'Cape Fear' – Before Robert De Niro terrified us as Max Cady in Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of "Cape Fear," Robert Mitchum played the role in 1962.

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Cruella De Vil, '101 Dalmatians' – As the song goes, "If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will." Whether she's animated or not, "101 Dalmatians' " Cruella De Vil is one of the most devilish villains of all time. Betty Lou Gerson voiced the puppy-hater in the 1961 adaptation, while Glenn Close played the role in the 1996 live-action version.

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Magneto, 'X-Men' – With the ability to manipulate metal, Ian McKellen's "X-Men" mutant Magneto is one of the most powerful villains of all time.

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Khan, 'Star Trek' – "Star Trek's" Khan Noonien Singh was played by Ricardo Montalban in a 1967 episode of the original series as well as 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."

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Wicked Witch of the West, 'Wizard of Oz' – Margaret Hamilton played Wicked Witch of the West/Miss Gulch in 1939's "The Wizard of Oz." In the end, her evil laugh, broomstick and flying monkeys were no match for a pail of water.

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Khan, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' – Benedict Cumberbatch's "Star Trek Into Darkness" villain is so fearsome, the movie built much of its hype around learning the character's identity in the months leading up to its release.

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The Joker, 'The Dark Knight' – Heath Ledger's Joker is one of the most disturbing villains on this list. His role in 2008's "The Dark Knight" earned him an Academy Award for best supporting actor.

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'Baby' Jane, 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' – The makeup alone could give you chills. Bette Davis' work as the dangerously delusional "Baby" Jane Hudson in 1962's "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" set a new standard for sibling rivalry, as Joan Crawford played her tortured sister, Blanche.

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Hans Gruber, 'Die Hard' – Bruce Willis' John McClane has outlasted plenty of bad guys throughout the "Die Hard" franchise, but the original baddie is still the best. Alan Rickman's portrayal of German terrorist leader Hans Gruber in 1988's "Die Hard" is classic.

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General Zod, 'Superman' – Have fans ever been so eager to kneel before a foe as they are for "Superman" and "Superman II's" General Zod? The role, at the time filled by Terence Stamp in the late '70s/early '80s, will be reprised by Michael Shannon in June's Superman movie, "Man of Steel."

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Regina George, 'Mean Girls' – Regina George's "Mean Girls" tactics are the stuff of legend, even though the Tina Fey-penned comedy is just nine years old.

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Norman Bates, 'Psycho' – Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates is the ultimate proof that looks can be deceiving. The innocent-seeming Norman gave viewers a shock in 1960's "Psycho" when the true nature of his relationship with his mother was revealed.

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Joan Crawford, 'Mommie Dearest' – Faye Dunaway's interpretation of Joan Crawford in 1981's "Mommie Dearest" was deliciously unnerving. The movie was based on a memoir of the same name by Crawford's adopted daughter, Christina, and it put us off wire hangers to this day.

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John Doe, 'Se7en' – Kevin Spacey's role in 1995's "Se7en" inspires such a love-hate relationship for us. We hate that watching the movie starring his sadistic John Doe can still make us leave the lights on at night, but we love how well Spacey nailed the role.

Gordon Gekko, 'Wall Street' – Michael Douglas was so good in his role as the cold-blooded stockbroker Gordon Gekko in 1987's "Wall Street," it was easy to forget his "Greed is Good" mantra isn't something we're supposed to embrace.

Alonzo Harris, 'Training Day' – The other 2001 Oscar nominees "ain't have s**t" on Denzel Washington's Alonzo Harris. The actor's role in "Training Day" allowed him to play a cutthroat and egomaniacal character, earning the star a best actor Oscar.

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Alex, 'A Clockwork Orange' – Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange" in 1971 brought us the "ultraviolent" Alex, as played by Malcolm McDowell. Although Alex is unquestionably brutal in the film, the character's style is almost more memorable than his actions.

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Frank Booth, 'Blue Velvet' – The story goes that Dennis Hopper was dead set on playing the profane and sociopathic Frank Booth in 1986's "Blue Velvet" because, as he reportedly told writer/director David Lynch, he was Frank.

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Patrick Bateman, 'American Psycho' – Perhaps the only thing more frightening than Christian Bale's turn as well-dressed killing machine Patrick Bateman in 2000's "American Psycho" is the rumor that Bale drew inspiration for the part from Tom Cruise.

J.D., 'Heathers' – Christian Slater was the twisted boyfriend every high school girl wanted by her side when 1988's "Heathers" was released. As J.D., the beau of Winona Ryder's Veronica, he helps her take down a clique of nasty girls in gruesome ways.

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Story highlights

James Spader has been cast as the villain in the upcoming "Avengers" movie

The actor will face-off against the Marvel heroes as Ultron

"The Avengers: The Age of Ultron" will arrive on May 1, 2015

The next time the Avengers assemble, it'll be to face off with James Spader.

The actor has been cast as the formidable foe Ultron in the next "Avengers" movie, Marvel announced Thursday.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon, "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" will show a more humanized -- but just as fearsome -- villain, Whedon told Entertainment Weekly.

In the Marvel universe, Ultron is a sentient robot that has an incredibly wide range of abilities, coming equipped with super-speed, super-strength, flight, mind control and a coma ray, to name a few. Whedon's Ultron won't be quite as versatile, and the filmmaker is imagining a less robotic bad guy.

"I knew right away what I wanted to do with him," Whedon, as an admitted fan of Ultron's, has said. "He's always trying to destroy the Avengers ... he's got a bee in his bonnet. He's not a happy guy, which means he's an interesting guy. He's got pain. And the way that manifests is not going to be standard robot stuff. So we'll take away some of those powers because at some point everybody becomes magic, and I already have someone (a new character, Scarlet Witch) who's a witch."

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We trust Whedon knows what he's doing -- this is the same guy who wrote and directed the third highest-grossing film of all time, 2012's "The Avengers."

"The Avengers: Age of Ultron" will debut on May 1, 2015. In the meantime, Spader will be on the small-screen as well: The three-time Emmy winner stars in NBC's "The Blacklist," which premieres September 23.